Thermal Solutions Products, LLC

Summary

Thermal Solutions Products is a member of Burnham Holdings, Inc.,
the parent company of fourteen subsidiaries that are leading domestic
manufacturers of boilers and related HVAC products and accessories
(including furnaces, radiators and air conditioning systems), for
residential, commercial and industrial applications. Subsidiaries of
Burnham Holdings, Inc. provide high-value, high-quality products
backed by superior service. Products are manufactured at plants in the
East, South, and Midwest. The largest subsidiaries of Burnham
Holdings, Inc. market under eight well-established brand names that
are differentiated by product line and markets served.

Challenge

Third party witnessed testing was required for Thermal Solutions
Products to obtain efficiency certification for its Solaris and
Evolution model boilers and water heaters. The testing parameters
specified that a narrow range of water temperatures be maintained
during the evaluation and that the equipment received return-water
temperatures less than 80°F, or at about 70°F, depending on the type
of efficiency test being performed. Challenged at times in the past
with using its equipment to maintain consistent water temperatures, as
well as with producing the necessary cooling during the summer months,
Thermal Solutions sought a rental chiller that would meet the
certification specifications. A five-month search for a rental
equipment provider had left the company frustrated. A few vendors
never returned calls. One vendor took over a month to provide a quote
for equipment that wasn’t properly sized for the job. Another seemed
eager to receive the business, but put little thought into what was
required to complete the job, offering little technical support for
equipment setup and operation.

Solution

As they continued their search to find a complete solution they
could feel confident about, Thermal Solutions Products reached out to
Trane Rental Services. The next morning they were provided with a
number of technical considerations developed by a Trane process
engineer, followed by a formal quote. The Trane team had full
understanding of the challenges Thermal Solutions faced and the
importance of the testing. Thermal Solutions Products also felt
confident that Trane would provide the needed support throughout the
testing period.

Specifying the optimal equipment Recognizing how unique their challenge was, a Trane process
engineer carefully reviewed the requirements and provided crucial
input to ensure the equipment would perform as necessary in order to
get the results needed during the boiler and water heater efficiency
testing. Trane was in constant communication and responded diligently
to numerous iterations and changes until a final decision from the
testing authorities allowed Thermal Solutions to settle upon the
optimal equipment size.

Reliable, efficient and user-friendly Engineered for reliability and efficiency, a compact Trane
120-ton air-cooled rotary chiller was installed, along with a 350 kW
Trane generator. The controls on both the chiller and generator were
extremely easy to use, allowing for a quick, easy start-up each
morning and simple adjustment if needed.

Results

The Trane 120-ton chiller and 350 kW generator met the boiler and
water heater witnessed tests requirements, allowing Thermal Solutions
to obtain efficiency certifications for its Solaris and Evolution
boilers and water heaters. “The setup was sized well, so we were able
to test a unit larger than anticipated and still maintain the
consistency for the smaller units tested,” said Josh Lefever, Thermal
Solutions Product Development Engineer. “The chiller had two separate
banks of refrigerant compressors that allowed for greater modulation.
Final fuel costs were about a third of what we anticipated because the
chiller and generator rarely had to run at full capacity.” “For a
chiller vendor, ours was a unique job and Trane provided what was
needed to complete it successfully,” added Lefever. “From sales and
engineering to field service and technical support, Trane was quick to
respond to our needs and their attention to detail was unparalleled.”